T1's struggles in the LCK summer split continue as they now have to compete without their head coach Bae 'Bengi' Seong-woong. The Korean organization stated on Twitter that the three-time world champion has asked to be released immediately.
T1 are living through an LCK summer split to forget. First, an arm injury forces mid laner Lee 'Faker' Sang-hyeok to take an extended break. T1 Academy mid laner Yoon 'Poby' Sung-won stepped in for Faker, but the talent of the 17-year-old has not been enough as a replacement, and T1 failed to take a single game off DRX and Gen.G. While Poby will remain as Faker's replacement, they are forced to make another change as head coach Bengi has departed the team.
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Following their recent losses, T1 are now in fifth place with a 6-4 scoreline. While missing playoffs is not yet a real threat as seventh-placed DRX are still three wins down, T1 could miss out on a top 2 placement, which would cost them a guaranteed spot in the second round of playoffs. With Faker sidelined for at least another week and Bengi no longer in the team, T1 need answers to their questions as quickly as possible.
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New Head Coach Embarks On Difficult Journey As T1 Are Looking To Bounce Back
Bengi will be replaced by his assistant, Im 'Tom' Jae-hyeon. The 28-year-old Korean has previously been part of the coaching staff of PSG Talon and Gen.G. However, T1 is his first station as a head coach.
It is planned to keep him as an interim head coach until the end of the 2023 season. T1's general manager Jeong 'becker' Hoi-yoon states that "we believe that Tom will guide the team during this time of change and that his leadership will continue to foster unity and resilience."
— T1 LoL (@T1LoL) July 8, 2023
Tom has been a substitute jungler for T1's predecessor SK Telecom T1 in 2015, sharing the position with Bengi. He is no stranger to the LCK, having played multiple matches when SKT won both spring and summer in 2015. Unfortunately, he did not play in any matches during the 2015 World Championship that saw SKT claim their second Summoner's Cup
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